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ariannanicolex3's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
3.0
sebswann's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.5
"Spoken word, these conversations remind me, removes the distance between us. It brings the writer and reader face-to-face. Rather than the book, or the sentence, or the written line being the unit of transmission, it is the human voice of the authors themselves, right there in front of you, saying, "I wrote this. I memorized this, and agonized over it, and practiced it for hours, including during the walk here, for the express purpose of sharing it with you." Now we've built this unwieldy machine together. Consciousness to consciousness, against the threat of the ticking clock."
Read this if you want to learn more about spoken word, it's history, influence, and practitioners.
Read this if you want to learn more about spoken word, it's history, influence, and practitioners.
donasbooks's review
2.0
Thank you to the author Joshua Bennett, publisher Alfred A. Knopf, and as always NetGalley, for a review digital copy of SPOKEN WORD: A CULTURAL HISTORY.
I need a glass of water because this text is dry.
The information contained within is interesting enough, but the delivery is difficult to consume. It reads like the worst of college textbooks-- piles of facts upon facts upon facts. I appreciate that this is technically a historical text, but it doesn't seem to appreciate the beauty of the artistic form it's surveying. It's too preoccupied with legitimizing it. And it's a shame, because Bennett shares some phenomenal work within this text, but never comments on it.
With rare exception, I struggled to connect with this text. As a poet and a fan of spoken word, I'm surprised this is the case.
Rating:
I need a glass of water because this text is dry.
The information contained within is interesting enough, but the delivery is difficult to consume. It reads like the worst of college textbooks-- piles of facts upon facts upon facts. I appreciate that this is technically a historical text, but it doesn't seem to appreciate the beauty of the artistic form it's surveying. It's too preoccupied with legitimizing it. And it's a shame, because Bennett shares some phenomenal work within this text, but never comments on it.
With rare exception, I struggled to connect with this text. As a poet and a fan of spoken word, I'm surprised this is the case.
Rating:
jburkespraker's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0
I loved how accessible this cultural history was. His prose has a poetic rhythm that works well in the audiobook.
colyforniaroll's review
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
A thoughtful & personal insight into the history of spoken word and how it impacts other expressions of art in the life of a poet/writer/performer/artist/etc. Or alternatively, how an artist can gain a new perspective through utilizing the skills spoken word embodies: body language, community, voice, and other almost whimsical traits that we carry that can be amplified if we have a safe space to do so.
Bennett's writing was consistently engaging and I particularly enjoyed how he sprinkled his history or thoughts into the narrative. A lot of his phrasing was beautiful, really letting you know that this work was a personal project if nothing else. Even as a historical telling, it never felt dense. I actually wish that it were a bit more in-depth into the present day impact for music & YouTube performance. I would be curious what his thoughts would be on poetic artists like Miles Carter or NPR "Tiny Desk" performances.
My favorite part was actually at the end, when he was speaking about his son and names: "Names are an incantation of a certain kind"
Bennett's writing was consistently engaging and I particularly enjoyed how he sprinkled his history or thoughts into the narrative. A lot of his phrasing was beautiful, really letting you know that this work was a personal project if nothing else. Even as a historical telling, it never felt dense. I actually wish that it were a bit more in-depth into the present day impact for music & YouTube performance. I would be curious what his thoughts would be on poetic artists like Miles Carter or NPR "Tiny Desk" performances.
My favorite part was actually at the end, when he was speaking about his son and names: "Names are an incantation of a certain kind"
Content Warnings
Minor: Death
laurajunejockisch's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0